Summary of fundraising legislation
With many charitable organisations cancelling in-person fundraising events and relying on generating public funds through various online means, it’s a good time to take stock to ensure compliance with existing fundraising laws. The fundraising legislation in Australia is difficult to navigate as there are different fundraising laws in each state and territory (except in the Northern Territory, which only regulates minor gaming activities). The not-for-profit sector has increasingly raised complaints that the current laws are overly complex and do not adequately allow for online fundraising, crowdfunding or websites. Until these concerns are addressed, many charitable organisations are stuck trying to implement a national fundraising compliance regime.
To assist charities at this time, we have prepared a table summarising the existing fundraising legislation which will provide a useful starting point for organisations that engage in charitable fundraising to consider how to ensure compliance in each state or territory in which they undertake fundraising activities.
